This invention relates to a device for separating articles, counting articles, or the like. More specifically, this invention relates to a device using an apparatus comprising a vibratory feeder bowl and a plurality of outwardly radiating tracks for separating articles, counting articles, or the like.
Vibratory feeder bowls for separating articles, counting articles, or the like are known. These feeder bowls comprise a central receiving section in the form of a cone or the like and a single ramp-like track along which the articles flow to a discharge. As can be seen from FIG. 15, the typical prior art apparatus comprises a vibratory feeder bowl 44 having a central receiving section 46 and a spiral track 48. The bowl is vibrated by a base unit 50. The track 48 can take a number of configurations and types of tooling depending on the nature of the articles to be separated, their size, their shape, and/or other characteristics. Typical bowl and track configurations are well-known in the art as illustrated, for example, in the xe2x80x9cParts Feeding Equipmentxe2x80x9d catalog of Automation Devices, Inc., of Fairview, Pa., U.S.A., or the xe2x80x9cSyntron(copyright) Parts Handling Equipmentxe2x80x9d catalog of FMC Corporation, Material Handling Division, of Homer City, Pa., U.S.A. Well-known drive units are also shown, for example, in those two catalogs, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The vibration applied by the drive unit 50, causes the articles being oriented and/or separated to move outwardly to the periphery of the bowl 44. The articles to be separated continue to move outwardly and are guided by wall 52 to follow the spiral path of the ramp 48 until they reach the end where they drop off into a counter, weigher, or assembly machine, or any other device for further processing, such as packaging, etc. From the counter or weigher, the articles then move to further processing such as packaging. Counting, weighing, and other such devices are well-known in the art.
There is a disadvantage to the prior art devices in that they are slow and inefficient. A plurality of such devices must be used, each with its own vibration-producing mechanism.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a vibratory feeder bowl apparatus for feeding, singulating, and/or orienting articles which is free of the above-mentioned and other such disadvantages.
The present invention provides a feeder bowl comprising a central receiving section and a plurality of tracks radiating outwardly from the receiving section. The feeder bowl itself is the same as conventional feeder bowls or can be a feeder bowl according to another aspect of the instant invention. It can be convex, concave, or flat in vertical cross-section depending on the articles to be separated or oriented. The choice of bowl configuration would be apparent to those skilled in the art. For instance, pills or tablets to be counted would be fed, oriented, or separated by using a convex bowl; irregularly shaped articles to be fed, oriented, or separated would be processed using a concave bowl; and spherical objects like marbles would be separated for counting using an essentially flat bowl. It should be noted that xe2x80x9cconvexxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cconcavexe2x80x9d bowls are, in actuality, essentially conical. The convex bowl resembles the outside surface of a cone while the concave bowl resembles the inside surface of a cone. As will be discussed later, when a concave bowl is used, it is preferable that it have spiral grooves radiating outwardly from the center. The bowl receives bulk product from bucket conveyors, bin vibratory elevators, and/or other similar delivery means.
While the conventional bowl uses a single spiral ramp-like track, the instant invention is an apparatus which comprises a plurality of outlets radiating outwardly from the periphery of the feeder bowl. The number of outlets can be as few as two with no upper limit except as dictated by physical constrains. It is possible that as many as about 50 could be used depending on bowl size and/or diameter, and track size. Specifically, the device has multiple tracks spiraling out from a center cone. The tracks all have tooling designed to shed bulk loose product down to single file feed, exiting product in controlled flow from the bowl around the entire periphery at the end of each track.
The bowl passes the excess overflow via an integral catch pan that provides a path for the bulk excess product to exit the bowl feeder from underneath the multiple tracks for a return run through the multi-track feeder.
At each exit, an optical parts detector, laser, light beam, load cell, or similar type device, with a product diverter gate, and an accumulator with discharge gates, is positioned to count or weigh the loose product into the desired batch count or weight size. These detectors may combine their counts for large batch sizes, or each be individually programmed to count each total batch or any combination of these optical batches and weighed batches satisfying their requested batch size. These devices are all well-known in the art and need no further description.
In another aspect of the instant invention, a new bowl configuration is provided for bulk product distribution that can deliver product uniformly and/or oriented in a controlled fashion out its entire periphery overflowing out of itself evenly and smoothly around a 360 degree circle. This bowl is designed to receive bulk product from bucket conveyors, bin vibratory elevators, and/or other similar delivery means. This device by nature of its design shape will collect the product in the bottom center of a cone, bowl or other similar shaped device. The bowl has spiral vanes, tracks, divertors, or other similar devices affixed to its interior surfaces that will guide and encourage the product to climb out of and spread itself evenly and uniformly out of the periphery of the device.
As with the first aspect of the instant invention, the bowl is driven by a conventional vibrator-electromagnetic pneumatic hydraulic and/or motor driven to impart motion to the product distribution device which in turn drives the product around up and out of the device.
Old technology has been to use a vibrating dome or cone with even distribution highly dependent on uniform delivery to the center of the cone resulting in fluctuations in delivery period. Entangled and not completely free flowing product like French fries, screws, wrapped candy, often result in unevenly distributed output flow out the periphery of the dome with some batch infeeds located around the distributor starving for produce while others may have too much bulk product.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.